Birmingham glass recycling program triples in 6 months

View full sizeThe Council's Rob Brewer in front of Rojo, one of the glass program's participating restaurants

Here is a reason to literally “raise a glass” and celebrate a significant local environmental achievement.

In just a short six month time span, the Alabama Environmental Council’s glass recycling program has more than tripled the amount of glass they are keeping out of the region’s landfills.

Beginning January 2012, the recycling program, which serves 18 Birmingham metro offices and restaurants, recycled 7000 pounds of glass. In June 2012, the program tripled in size, recycling 25,000 pounds of glass. That is the equivalent of 227 barrels of glass. Some participating restaurants have even reported a reduction of more than 50% of their waste stream since joining the program.

“It’s our goal to divert waste and make it a valuable commodity,” stated Alabama Environmental Council Director Michael Churchman about the glass recycling program. “It’s capturing usable materials and keeping it from being wasted in a landfill.”

Argos, a cement company in Calera, is the primary beneficiary of the program’s recycled glass.

“Added in the cement making process, the glass is given another life,” according to Churchman.

The glass recycling program, which is administered by the Council, was made possible by a grant from the ADEM Alabama Recycling Fund to the Jefferson County Department of Health.

The program is growing and adding new partners everyday. To learn how to join the glass recycling movement in Birmingham, visit the Alabama Environmental Council’s Recycle Alabama website at: http://aeconline.org/recycling.